37,000 people demonstrated this Wednesday in the streets of Paris

A total of 37,000 people demonstrated this Wednesday in the streets of Paris on the occasion of the 8th day of mobilization against the pension reform, according to a count of the police headquarters. Last Saturday, during the previous day, this figure reached 48,000 people, according to the same source. On the 6th day of mobilization against the government’s pension reform project, on March 7, 81,000 demonstrators were then counted in Paris, again according to a count carried out by the Paris police headquarters. The CGT had for its part announced … 700,000 people.

A total of 480,000 people marched this Wednesday in France, according to a count by the Ministry of the Interior. For this 8th day of mobilization, the CGT counted 1.78 million demonstrators.

The rate of strikers mobilized on Wednesday was down sharply everywhere. In the state civil service (2.5 million agents), it thus fell sharply to less than 3% at midday, against nearly 25% during the big day of mobilization on March 7, according to the Ministry of Public Service. In the territorial public service (2 million agents), the rate of strikers also fell, to 2.2% against 11% on March 7. In the hospital side (1.2 million agents), the rate of strikers is a little higher, but barely. Only 4.5% of the 1.2 million agents actually stopped this Wednesday at midday, against 9.4% on March 7.

On the EDF employee side, less than a quarter of employees (22.45%) had stopped work, for the eighth day of mobilization, according to management. Here too, this participation reflects a very strong decline compared to March 7, when the management had reported 41.5% of strikers. Among the railway workers, another usual stronghold of the strikers, the rate was only 15% on March 15 at midday, according to a union source. Against 39%!

But the strikes are not over. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGAC) asked airlines to cancel Thursday, March 16, 20% of their flights at Paris-Orly, just like Wednesday, due to a strike by air traffic controllers. “Despite these preventive measures, disruptions and delays are nevertheless to be expected,” said the DGAC on Wednesday in a press release, inviting “passengers who can to postpone their trip and to inquire with their airline. to know the status of their flight”.

The PS mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, also refuses to respond to the request of the police headquarters to requisition the garbage collectors of the city, to limit the effects of their strike against the pension reform, she also writes in a letter sent to AFP. While the trash continues to accumulate in the capital on the tenth day of the strike, with 7,600 tons not collected, the government and the town hall, which supports the social movement, are returning the responsibility!

In the Senate, the Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin affirmed that if the town hall did not proceed with requisitions, the prefect of police of Paris would proceed with these requisitions “this evening or at the latest tomorrow”, because it is a ” issue of public health”.

Deputies and senators reached an agreement this Wednesday in the joint committee (CMP) on a common version of the pension reform project, which will still have to obtain a favorable vote from the Senate and the Assembly on Thursday to be adopted, unless the government resorts to 49.3.